Evaluation of sedimentation rate methodology reveals an unusual pediatric subpopulation with lupus or lupus-like syndrome and hemolytic anemia

Purpose Sedimentaion rate is often used to manage pediatric patients with rheumatologic disease. Most management decisions are dependent on studies which have used Wintrobe or Westergren sedimentation rate methodologies. However, these methods suffer from the need for relatively large amounts of blood and long turn-around times. Determination of sedimentation rate using laser kinetic rate determination has allowed calibration to Westergren methods, low volume of blood needed for testing and very rapid results. We sought to compare the Wintrobe method to the ESR Stat method (kinetic method; HemaTechnologies, Lebanon NJ) to determine suitability of the ESR Stat method for patient testing. Go to: Methods We performed a prospective comparison between the traditional Wintrobe and ESR Stat sedimentation rates in consecutive pediatric patients at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. Wintrobe and ESR Stat sedimentation data was fitted using a logarithmic model. Outliers were defined as those samples with ESR Stat sedimentation rates greater than 80 mm/hr and Wintrobe sedimentation rates less than 30 mm/hr (normal or mildly elevated sedimentation rate). Retrospective chart review was performed on all patients undergoing testing. Go to: Results A total of 131 pediatric patients (with one patient undergoing repeat testing because of sedimentation rate discrepancy) were tested. Age range was 18 months to 34 years with 29% being male. A logarithmic model appeared to best fit the data (R2 = 0.7768) and is seen below. Of interest was the identification of four patients who had apparently normal or mildly elevated sedimentation rates by the Wintrobe method versus an extremely high (greater than 120 mm/hr) by the ESR Stat method. These patients were noted to have lupus or lupus-like syndrome and a history of hemolytic anemia. Non-outlier samples were from patients who did not this combination of disease morbidities. Figure 1 Go to: Conclusion Discrepancies in Wintrobe and ESR Stat sedimentation rates may identify a subgroup of with lupus (or lupus-like syndrome) and a history of hemolytic anemia. Careful consideration of methodology is needed when sedimentation rate testing is performed on pediatric lupus patients

EU-Rotate_N – a decision support system – to predict environmental and economic consequences of the management of nitrogen fertiliser in crop rotations

A model has been developed which assesses the economic and environmental performance of crop rotations, in both conventional and organic cropping, for over 70 arable and horticultural crops, and a wide range of growing conditions in Europe. The model, though originally based on the N_ABLE model, has been completely rewritten and contains new routines to simulate root development, the mineralisation and release of nitrogen (N) from soil organic matter and crop residues, and water dynamics in soil. New routines have been added to estimate the effects of sub-optimal rates of N and spacing on the marketable outputs and gross margins. The model provides a mechanism for generating scenarios to represent a range of differing crop and fertiliser management strategies which can be used to evaluate their effects on yield, gross margin and losses of nitrogen through leaching. Such testing has revealed that nitrogen management can be improved and that there is potential to increase gross margins whilst reducing nitrogen losses

Detailed study of dissipative quantum dynamics of K-2 attached to helium nanodroplets

We thoroughly investigate vibrational quantum dynamics of dimers attached to He droplets motivated by recent measurements with K-2 [1]. For those femtosecond pump-probe experiments, crucial observed features are not reproduced by gas phase calculations but agreement is found using a description based on dissipative quantum dynamics, as briefly shown in [2]. Here we present a detailed study of the influence of possible effects induced by the droplet. The helium droplet causes electronic decoherence, shifts of potential surfaces, and relaxation of wave packets in attached dimers. Moreover, a realistic description of (stochastic) desorption of dimers off the droplet needs to be taken into account. Step by step we include and study the importance of these effects in our full quantum calculation. This allows us to reproduce and explain all major experimental findings. We find that desorption is fast and occurs already within 2-10 ps after electronic excitation. A further finding is that slow vibrational motion in the ground state can be considered frictionless.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure

Wave packet dynamics of potassium dimers attached to helium nanodroplets

The dynamics of vibrational wave packets excited in K$_2$ dimers attached to superfluid helium nanodroplets is investigated by means of femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy. The employed resonant three-photon-ionization scheme is studied in a wide wavelength range and different pathways leading to K$^+_2$-formation are identified. While the wave packet dynamics of the electronic ground state is not influenced by the helium environment, perturbations of the electronically excited states are observed. The latter reveal a strong time dependence on the timescale 3-8 ps which directly reflects the dynamics of desorption of K$_2$ off the helium droplets

Mycobacterium haemophilum and Lymphadenitis in Children

Mycobacterium haemophilum is the second most common pathogen in children with mycobacterial lymphadenitis

Reinventing the antimicrobial pipeline in response to the global crisis of antimicrobial-resistant infections

Opinion article. The pipeline for new antibiotics is dry. Despite the creation of public/private initiatives like Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (Carb-X) and the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Centre, the current focus on ‘push-pull’ incentives for the pharmaceutical industry still relies on economic return. We propose a joint, internationally-funded antimicrobial development institute that would fund permanent staff to take on roles previously assigned to pharmaceutical companies. This institute would receive ring-fenced, long-term, core funding from participating countries as well as charities, with the aim to focus on transforming the largely dormant antimicrobial pipeline. Resulting drugs would be sold globally and according to a principle of shared burdens. Our proposed model for antimicrobial development aims to maximise society’s investment, through open science, investment in people, and the sharing of intellectual property

Full-Wafer Roller-NIL Processes for Silicon Solar Cell Texturisation

The highest solar cell efficiencies both for c-Si and mc-Si were reached using template based texturing processes. Especially for mc-Si the benefit of a defined texture, the so called honeycomb texture, was demonstrated impressively. However, up until now, no industrially feasible process has been available to pattern the necessary etching masks with the sufficient resolution. Roller-Nanoimprint Lithography (Roller-NIL) has the potential to overcome these limitations and to allow high quality pattern transfers, even in the sub-micron regime, in continuous in-line processes. Therefore, this etch-mask patterning technique is a suitable solution to bring such elaborate features like the honeycomb texture to an industrial realization. Beyond that, this fast printing-like technology opens up new possibilities to introduce promising concepts like photonic structures into solar cells

NIMble innovation — a networked model for public antibiotic trials

Antibiotic research and development is at an inflection point. Faced with ongoing problems with commercial innovation, we argue for a networked public approach to support and coordinate existing research and development initiatives by sustainably moving promising compounds through clinical trials. We propose a global public infrastructure of institutes tasked with (1) conducting all trial stages up to market authorisation, including small-scale compound production; (2) negotiating licensing agreements for global production and distribution by industry partners; and (3) using public purchasing agreements or subscription models to ensure commercially viable drug production at equitable prices. We invite stakeholders to consider our Networked Institute Model's benefits for unblocking the public and private antibiotic pipeline